so suggest that the girl who was MARy in the nativity

[SCargot]

then went on to be centre in a netball team?

just a leetle theory i am h'explorin

It was the 80s though, not 70s so you are still a groundbreaker!

Meg I was the devil in a church play once. I had to say 'When the bells of hell go dingle ling a ling'. Which I always thought was a bit camp for hell they should boom or something.

I was a clog dancer never did the nativity - we didn't have to 'play' at it, it was a Catholic school.

I didn't play netball at primary school, have no idea if this is, like contraception banned by the catholic church.

I was a Mary, age 5
I did not want to be and so was a very resentful Mary
because it was embarrassing, and I had to hold hands with Joseph
and I hated baby dolls - all wrinkled and fleshy: I had dolls but always hated baby ones. Real babies are fascinating, baby dolls were just somehow disturbing

(According to my mother there was a lot of supressed giggling on the audience as I stumped up the aisle, shook Josephs hand off
and picked up the baby J doll from the manger by one leg, and gave him a hefty shake (did not slap his bum though) and settled down to 'cradle' him uneasily at arms length. With his head on the floor.)

there were no teams or major positions at my school
but I compensated by competing at a high level in a very skilled individual sport
and being the academic prizewinner of our class

I have no idea how it all relates to now, though I am more careful with real babies. Surely there must have been other sulking marys out there?

lol@ rank and file

When I was 7 Mary was a black girl. This was deeply controversial in rural Devon in the early 80s (poor girl).

I have just remembered that I was also on the debate team at school. I did a public speaking competition for the Rotary and came top for Devon (were beaten by fucking Somerset in the west country region finals, though. Still hate people from Bridgwater to this day).

However, am on an unusual venn diagram as was also school alcohol monitor in year 11 (was tall and looked older so got served booxe underage). I used to troop down to the off licence in lunchtime, buy bottles of 20-20 and Thunderbird to hide in the roof cavities for consumption at the Friday night rugby club disco.

I was very naughty at school but never got caught so to all intents and purposes was a square.

why is public speakign creeping onto the venn area here
i dont htink there is ANY link bewteen religious typecasting and being strident?

ALL nativity narrators would have been forced encouraged to be on the debate team.

I am sur they thought I actually liked being the main speaker on a debate about single sex education. At the age of 14. When my mates were pissing about on the playing field.

I had thick glasses as well

Was never Mary (teacher's daughter, so never cast in case of accusations of nepotism).

GD in netball (tall, unlikely to be thought scary)
Centre in basketball (tall)
LW at hockey

No steady BF until uni (and fortunately never one who sent padded cards as I'd have laughed myself sick then hit him with it ).

Mary was a lovely(blonde) girl who was pretty sporty as I recall, but (bucking the trend here) also quite academic and went onto university. Don't remember her being of the padded-card-BF fraternity either.

my sister was a Sulking Mary (also wing attack and gymnastics captain, no boyfriends till university)

have a lovely pic of her aged 4 holding Baby Jesus tenderly by the face

In our nativity I was the lead triangle player
And a reserve for the netball team but I was never asked to actually play in any proper matches

DSis was Mary. I don't think she played netball though.

don't understand the redheaded mary thing, I was a red head, very shy and very skinny, and therefore was not allowed to even be seen to be a member of school.
I was crap at all sports, bullied and told by a teacher that I would work in McDonalds(or whatever the equivalent was then).
Bitter Moi.

Netball - god, how I hated that game and I attended a school that won the All England (or something like that) championship. Netball in my day was akin to football today - i.e. being good at netball was a passport to doing bugger all else and still being 'popular' with teachers and pupils.

As for Mary...even at an early age I used to wonder why the honour always went to a kid with straight 'fair' hair - i.e. colour of mouse's backside - watery blue eyes and a mother who could afford to buy the costume. Surely Mary would have had dark semitic hair and features? When my niece was small - and not given the part, I remember telling her teacher that she should smear the would-be Mary's face with dirt & add a tad of bumfluff to her top lip to aid authenticity. She was not convinced.....

Narrator, then GK (I was 5'5" in Year 7, am only 5'8" now!)

I was Mary, but always utter shite at netball. I was Head Girl, though!

My own mother recently told me that she was surprised at my real-life mothering skills because I showed so little maternal instinct at 5 when I swung baby Jesus by the foot. Clearly, she thought that nativity play was indeed an indicator of my future behaviour but I have never swung DS by the foot, nor do I intend to!!

Another Angel Gabriel here.

I didn't play any school sport.
I smoked, drank and nearly got expelled on a number of occasions.

Good news is, that FFW 30 years and I am quite successful professionally and don't drink or smoke anymore

I was Mary three times (curse of having brown hair - I always wanted to be an angel) I always played Goal Keeper or Goal Shooter in Netball, I wasn't head girl but was apparently in the final 3 when they were choosing. I was house captain though.

I was King Herod. And Goal Defence.

I was Mary (long dark hair)
And GD

I was a blonde Mary - tall and NOISY so I think that was why.
DB was Joseph (not at the same time though )
GD in netball team (tall and scary)
LW in hockey team
In the athletics team
Did receive one or two nicepadded cards over the years.

lol at herod!!!!

Oh yes, got a few padded valentines cards and even some fluffy white teddy bears holding love hearts, lucky old me.

No debating team, but was in Drama group.

I always had to be a shepherd. I always wanted to be an angel or Mary but as I didn't have fair hair or blue eyes I didn't stand a chance!